Scoil Mhuire- The Old School Bell

The Old School Bell: Castleshane House, built in 1836 and standing approx. 5 miles south of Monaghan Town, was the ancestral home of the Lucas Family and the original home of the 'Old CBS School Bell'. The bell that hung in the belfry over the CBS Primary School on St. Mary's Hill, Monaghan Town from March 1938 was salvaged from the ruins of the historical Castleshane House which was mysteriously destroyed by fire on the morning of February 15th 1920.

The bell had hung in the bellcote which formed part of the magnificent walled-gardens adjacent to Castleshane House. Each morning at 6am the bell would ring to awaken the Estate employees and would again be used to summon and alert the employees at other key times throughout the day. The bell subsequently became a familiar sound to the hundreds of young boys and young men who spent their formative years on St. Mary's Hill.

Getting the job of ringing the bell was a special treat, never knowing though, the unique history of the toll that resounded far beyond the confines of the school grounds. When the CBS Primary School closed in 1984 the bell was returned to it's former home in the bellcote in Castleshane Estate through the efforts of the late Jimmy Cassidy & his Family. The circle of life had been completed.